by Kenneth Morton

Fejd was conceived in 2001 when folk music duo Patrik and Niklas Rimmerfors joined forces with a third of the members of the Swedish metal act Pathos. Presenting a thrilling mixture of traditional folk with a metal mindset, it would not be long until Napalm Records would notice what this formidable collective had to offer. Their first full-length Storm has now been unleashed for all to experience. Here is a recent interview we conducted with drummer Esko Salow (who also plays in the mighty Pathos!!!)...…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Fejd, and how long the band has been together?
Well, I am Esko Salow, I handle the drums for Fejd and with that name we have played together since 2001, but we really started playing in 1999

Where is the band based out of, and what is the metal scene like there?
We hail from Lilla Edet - Trollhättan/Sweden that is where we live, work and make music. Living about 56 miles from Gothenburg, I guess you know how the metal scene is around us, In Flames, Hammerfall, The Haunted, Dark Tranquility, Evergrey and the list could really go on forever. Many great up coming acts that I am sure will keep the good spirit of the Swedish West Coast Metal scene alive for decades to come.

What initially sparked your interest in recording Nordic Medieval Folk based music?
The Folk music is something that always has surrounded us, from school, childhood television shows and simply something, that is always close. I have always liked the sadness and emotions that the musical language offers in our Folk. In Fejd’s case, Patrik went to school to learn playing jazz guitar after several years as a metal guitarist, and at school, he got in to the Folk scene due to all of the gigs with different acts around school. Patrik then convinced Niklas to start playing Folk, and when they asked the rest of us, it only felt natural and exciting.

How long have the two brothers Patrick and Niklas Rimmerfors been doing music together and how did they get along when they were younger?
I think they have been playing almost all their lives. I remember they had a chance to record an album at age ten together with our bassist Thomas, playing some kind of rock at the time but their parents thought they were too young. I guess they get along as most siblings or twins, some fights but usually very good.

How did the various members of Pathos become involved with the project? Pathos sounds nothing like Fejd.
The Rimmerfors brothers played in a fucking great Thrash Metal band when they were younger, and I believe they inspired us very much when we started Pathos. When they asked us to join Fejd, it was an honor as we were fans of what they had done in the past, of course, we liked the music they played in Fejd as well, and otherwise I would not have joined.

How interesting would it be if Fejd and Pathos and/or Nostradameus decided to tour together? What is the status of Pathos and Nostradameus today?
I think we are too far away from each other musically to make it an attractive tour, but I’m sure that it would be a great tour.(Exhausting for me as a drummer;)) In Pathos everything is on hold, we have been talking about starting again when we have more time for it, but for now, nothing. Nostradameus just finished our sixth album, I am happy with the result. Specht joined Nostradameus as guitarist and songwriter and I have always loved the riffs that man manages to get out of his guitar. Sadly, we have not found a label to release it.

What exactly is a Fejd, beside the name of your band?
Fejd is a Swedish word for battle, fight, dispute, and struggle. We liked the name and thought it fit the band, at the time it was always a fight or struggle to get the time to play together since all of us worked different hours.

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title Storm?
Not really, at first we were thinking of calling the album Offerrök but changed it to Storm as it is more international and used with the same sense in many languages, actually even the spelling is the same.

Where did you get the ideas for some of your songs? Please cite two of the songs and what they are about.
The ideas come from everywhere, it could be books that we read, stories we have heard or things that happened or surrounds us. Vid Jore Å is a song about a small river just outside where Patrik & Niklas grew up, it has to do with the fascination you as a child can feel for something that is dangerous or ”forbidden”, the actual place is very magic with deep forest and old settlements covered with moss.
Offerrök is a song about old Norse rites and the sacrificial feasts they used to keep at ”Uppsala Högar” to honor Oden, Tor & Frej. The feasts lasted nine days, three days for each of the Gods.

Which musical instrument would you say is the most difficult to master and record on the CD?
Every instrument is difficult in its own way; personally, I believe that the cow horn seems to be the hardest one to play. It’s difficult to get a strong tone out of it and to change notes you need to change position of your hand inside the horn and don’t have any given positions to get it right, it demands lots of feeling to get it right. I believe the Swedish bagpipe might be the hardest to record just because the straw inside is very sensitive to moisture, if it gets to wet you will not be able to play it at all.

Is there any chance of Fejd coming over and doing shows here in the States?
I guess there is always a chance, it all has to do with sales and if it seems reasonable with the expenses a U.S tour would cost. I know that we would want to but that is a very different question, as we would like to play everywhere. I can see on our web site that we have many people from U.S.A visiting us but I guess it is not a foundation for a tour.

How often do the Brothers Rimmerfors perform acoustic, and do they have any solo releases out?
The acoustic performances are not that often anymore, some special events every year. They have not recorded anything apart from what we have done with Fejd, and I cannot see it happening in the future either, at least not near future. I am trying to convince them to do a recording with their old Thrash songs, mostly because I would want them myself but also because the songs are too good to be forgotten.

What could one expect from a live Fejd show?
A Fejd show is very dynamic, it is a fantastic interaction between the band and the audience, a journey back in time to a world that only exists in our subconscious whom we all feel that we belong to.

What was it like working with Marko Tervonen of The Crown and Angel Blake, and what did he contribute to the overall recording process?
When we started talking to Marko about the recording, we immediately felt that we were heading for the same direction. We all felt that we needed someone who understands what we want out of the music, the importance of getting the weight & heaviness out of the instruments we use. We know that Marko took all the best he could from that studio and managed to get a full sound and it could not have been better in that environment; to get to the next level we really need a studio that treats the acoustic instruments with the respect they require.

What’s up next for Fejd?
We are playing some festivals in Germany this summer and constantly get requests for more gigs, we’ll try to play as many as we can. We are also working with new songs for the next Fejd album and are planning to start the recordings late 2009 if everything works out as we planned. We are longing to enter the studio again as we feel that the new songs will be fucking great.

Any messages for metal fans here in the States?
Well, if you did not have the chance to listen to real Swedish Folk created by metalheads before, you better do it now because you are missing something. To our fans, we can only say thank you so much for the support and we really hope we make it to the U.S so we get the opportunity to play for you live. Please visit us at our Myspace www.myspace.com/fejd and visit our homepage www.fejd.se Cheers!

FEJD links

FEJD ONLINE: The Official Home Page for FEJD!
FEJD on Myspace: The Official Myspace Page for FEJD!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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